Associate Director of People & Culture

NSAC is seeking an experienced, enthusiastic people and culture professional to join our team. This role combines hands-on HR operations with culture-building, working closely with managers and staff across the organization to support our collaborative, dynamic workplace.

This is a full-time, exempt, non-bargaining unit position that offers benefits as outlined in the employee handbook and reports to NSAC’s Coalition Director. For this role, we prefer that candidates be able to work on a regular basis from our Capitol Hill office in Washington, DC; we will consider strong candidates based elsewhere with willingness to travel to Washington several times a year. NSAC operates with a flexible work policy allowing for hybrid/remote work when possible. 

THE ORGANIZATION

NSAC is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities. For over 35 years, NSAC’s track record of policy accomplishments and grassroots power-building has been guided by a vision of a future where farmers, workers, and communities sustain a thriving food and farm system that nourishes people, stewards our environment, and builds strong economies. Racial justice – an understanding and acknowledgment of historical and ongoing racial inequities and a commitment to actions challenging those inequities – is a core tenet in our work.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

The Associate Director of People & Culture at NSAC will develop, implement, and manage personnel policies that support our mission, culture, and strategic goals. Within a collaborative, team-oriented environment, this role exercises independent judgment over and initiative in the day-to-day carrying out of specific job responsibilities, while coordinating closely with the Coalition Director and Operations Manager in support of NSAC's overall strategic cohesion.  

The Associate Director of People & Culture will help create and manage sustainable HR and personnel infrastructure at NSAC aligned with our values. This role will manage recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, performance evaluation, benefits administration, compliance, and professional development initiatives for the organization, including ensuring consistent and fair application of workplace policies and alignment with our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This role will be the main point of contact for our Professional Employment Organization (PEO) partner and be the main administrator for NSAC on that platform. The role will serve as a key resource for all employees, helping to strengthen organizational culture, navigate workplace challenges, and ensure compliance with labor regulations and internal policies.

Human Resources and Personnel – 40%

• Lead on the full scope of NSAC’s HR functions, including personnel policy development and implementation, recruiting, hiring (typically 1-3 positions each year), onboarding and offboarding, employee benefits and compensation, performance management, evaluation processes, and professional employer organization (PEO) and benefits management

• Manage, with the Coalition Director and management team, the implementation of NSAC’s compensation policy to ensure equitable, competitive wages and benefits 

• Manage relationships with our PEO and benefits brokers and obtain and provide competitive and cost-effective employee benefits plans and programs

• With PEO and Coalition Director, steward employee benefits and insurance enrollment, renewal, and review processes

• Lead personnel-based file management and records retention, including the maintenance of confidential employment information

• Ensure consistent, fair application of personnel policies and procedures across staff

Labor Relations - 20%

• With the Coalition Director and management team, support labor relations, including preparing and maintaining data and information related to contract negotiations, keeping minutes, and assisting management with grievance investigation reports

• Support organization-wide education around labor relations, including legal compliance, NLRB/NLRA regulations, timelines, and process

• Handle routine labor relations and human resource inquiries related to policies, procedures, and bargaining agreements, including CBA grievance procedures

Team Culture and Coaching - 20% 

• Offer coaching and ongoing professional development support team-wide

• Develop and implement regular team-wide processes to solicit and integrate staff feedback via employee engagement and culture surveys 

• Develop and implement supervisor resources and trainings for in-house management support 

• With the Coalition Director, prepare materials for and support regular staff meetings along with annual staff retreats and ad-hod meetings; assist in developing staff-wide timelines, projects, and policies 

• Support the ongoing development and maintenance of the organization’s SOPs and decision-making matrices

• Apply an equity lens to all internal personnel and administrative systems and processes 

Compliance - 10% 

• Partner with Coalition Director, Operations Manager, and PEO to maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations; review policies and practices to maintain compliance

Organizational Support - 10%

• With full staff, support the implementation of NSAC’s 5-year strategic plan

• Provide input to grant proposals and grant reports and evaluations when requested

• Participate in racial affinity caucusing (staff and coalition) and biannual coalition meetings

SALARY AND BENEFITS

NSAC offers a competitive non-profit salary, dependent on qualifications and experience. The hiring range for this role is the minimum-mid range for the position band: $94,000 - $102,000. 

This position offers excellent benefits (as per the employee handbook), including generous vacation and other time off policy, health, dental, and long-term disability insurance, matching employer contributions in a retirement plan, and financial support for professional and personal development.

This is not an entry level role; a successful candidate likely has 10+ years of directly relevant work experience, with the opportunity for growth and development in other areas. We encourage interested candidates to apply if they meet at least 75% of the qualifications.  

• At least 7-10+ years of experience in HR or personnel roles inclusive of key functions such as hiring, benefits, and policy development

• Understanding of and experience within or in proximity to unions, ideally including at least 1 year of HR experience in a non-profit unionized environment

• PHR/SHRM-CP or SPRH/SHRM-SCP certification highly preferred

• Demonstrated understanding of how racial equity intersects with workplaces, and the ability and enthusiasm to apply this understanding to equitable, fair personnel practices 

• Ability to initiate, facilitate, and mediate difficult conversations with staff at every level of the organization, including knowledge of different conflict facilitation frameworks 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in virtual, hybrid and in-person working environments

• Strong project management skills; capable of planning, prioritizing, and troubleshooting efforts in an ongoing manner and working on variable, sometimes fast-paced project timelines

• Exceptional initiative and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and collaboratively, listen well, build trust, give and receive feedback, and model healthy conflict resolution

• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information

• Ability to work effectively with, value differences of, and incorporate the experiences and policy impacts on diverse groups of individuals, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic circumstances

• Willingness to travel domestically several times a year

Additional Experience or Skills that Will Help You Excel

• An understanding of and commitment to sustainable agriculture and food systems and NSAC’s mission

• Experience working in or adjacent to agricultural or food system-focused entities, including farms, businesses, or nonprofits, or within advocacy or organizing movement contexts

• Experience with multi-organization grassroots coalitions or membership organizations 

• Experience with research and data collection systems

Communications are treated confidentially. Resume reviews begin immediately; The deadline to submit an application is Friday, January 9th, 2026. No phone calls, please.

NSAC makes hiring decisions without regard to gender, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. NSAC  welcomes applications from groups that have been historically under-represented, including but not limited to people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, LGBTQ people, or those who are members of other marginalized communities.